Temple of Luxor, temple of Amon Ra (Ipt-Rsyt) Luxor Temple Luxor Temple, or The Temple of Luxor, is among the most beautiful Temples in Egypt. It was known in the New Kingdom period as Ipt-Rsyt, which means the southern shrine. This was to differentiate between this Temple and Karnak Temple, which was the northern house of Amon Ra. Amenhotep III built Luxor Temple. The architect and overseer of the works of construction was the genius Amenhotep, son of Habu. The Temple run close and parallel to the river Nile from north to south. It was constructed on the site of a small Temple of Amon, built by kings of the 12th dynasty. At the time of Amenhotep III the Temple was only 190m in length and 55m in width. Basically, Luxor Temple was consecrated to Amon Ra in his fertility aspect. Ramses II, with the help of his architect Pak-in Khonso, added the front part and completed the Temple. He also added the present large forecourt, and a Pylon at the (northern) front of the Temple.

Kings Merenpetah, Seti I, Ramses III, Ramses IV and Ramses VI built many more small additions. Alexander the Great rebuilt the Sanctuary. During the Christian era, the inner section was converted to a church. The Muslims built a Mosque in the 10th century, which is known as the Mosque of Abou El-Hagag. King Nektanebo built the Sphinx Avenue in front of the Temple that leads to the entrance. In front of the Great Pylon of Ramses II, there once were 2 obelisks. Only one of them remains standing! The other was transported, in 1819, to La Place de le Concorde in Paris, as a gift to King Philip Louis of France by Mohamed Ali (who ruled Egypt 1805-1850 A.D), after he was given a French clock, which has never worked properly - even to this day! There were 6 standing statues in front of the Pylon, only one of them, on the western side, is still in place.

Flanking the gate of the first pylon, which is 24m high, there are two seated colossi representing King Ramses II, seated on his throne, with all the royal features. Both towers of this pylon were once decorated with relief's depicting the Battle of Kadesh, fought between the armies of Egypt and the Hittites, in present day Syria. The 1st open court has double rows of 32 papyrus bud columns. To the right side of the open court there is an old triple shrine made by Queen Hatshepsut and Tuthmosis III, dedicated to the sacred boats of the "Triad of Thebes". To the left is the Mosque of Abou El-Hagag. The open court of Ramses II leads to the Colonnade, which was built by Amenhotep III, and decorated by Tutankhamen and later, Horemheb; Seti I, Ramses II, and Seti II all recorded their names there. It consists of two pairs of large open papyrus columns, which are arranged to make a long processional avenue.

The walls of this colonnade are decorated by scenes of the Opt Festival, special ceremonies for the visit of the "Triad of Karnak" to the Temple of Luxor. This feast lasted for about 24 days, including the return to the Karnak Temple. Click on the thumbnails below to enlarge: The colonnade leads to the Court of Amenhotep III (52m in length and 46m in width). It has a double row of clustered round papyrus bud columns on three sides. The Court of Amenhotep III leads to the Hypostyle Hall, which consists of 32 columns arranged in 4 columns and 8 columns each. To the left of the Hypostyle Hall stands a Roman altar, bearing Latin inscriptions, dedicated to Emperor Augustus. On the walls of the Hypostyle Hall, there are some reliefs representing Amenhotep III hunting and killing a gazelle in front of Amon Ra, and other scenes representing the King in front of various deities. On the rear of The Hypostyle Hall, and on both sides of the central doorway, There are 2 long chapels.

The one to the east is dedicated to Mut and the One to the west dedicated to Khonso. The Hypostyle opens south to the 1st Antechamber, which originally had 8 columns, but they were removed when the antechamber was converted into a Christian Church. The Birth Room situated to the east, is a side room with 3 columns. Most of the scenes, depicting the divine birth of King Amen-hotep III, are in very poor condition. After the Birth Room there is another 3 columned chamber, also with badly damaged relief's, and then the Sanctuary of Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great, who removed the 4 original columns and built a chapel, open to the north and to the south, rebuilt this sanctuary, which once had a golden plated statue of Amon Ra. Fortunately he did not remove the relief's on the walls. From the shrine of Alexander the Great, we enter a 2nd antechamber, which has 4 papyrus bud columns. After passing the 2nd antechamber, there are 2 offering rooms, in poor condition, with their scenes also badly damaged. The original sanctuary is a small chamber with 4 clustered papyrus columns.

The walls of this room are decorated with scenes depicting Amenhotep III dancing before the God Amon Ra. The outside walls of the Temple, on the west side, are covered with scenes and inscriptions, again representing the battle of Kadesh. This was the work of Ramses II to commemorate his "victory" over the Hittites.

Other Temples of Egypt 1000+ images about Thèbes - Louxor - Karnak on Pinterest | Statue of, Amon and Temples Learn more at Uploaded by user Detail of the south colossal Osirian statue of King Ramses II (holding the Flail and the ‘Heqa’-scepter) located in the Outer Hall of “the Temple of Amon-Ra-Harakhty Who hears the petitions” (the Eastern Temple of King Ramses II) at 'Ipet-Sut’ (“Karnak”), the highly sacred precinct of the God Amon-Ra at 'Uaset’-Thebes pin Colossal Statues of Ramsses II at Luxor Temple Colossal Statues of Ramsses II at Luxor Temple Luxor &amp; Karnak a temple complex located in the city of Thebes, the ancient capital of Egypt during the time of the new kingdom. Thebes is located on the East bank of the Nile river. The temple was begun by the Pharoah Amenhotep III and was completed by Tutankhamen, after completion the temple complex was continually developed by other pharaohs like Ramsses II and outside conquers like Alexander the Great.

Temples during the new kingdom were constructed as places of religious worship dedicated to certain gods of the Ancient Egyptians. The Luxor temple was dedicated to the king of the Egyptian gods Amon-Ra. The Luxor Temple is constructed of sandstone blocks from Nubia in south west Egypt, the temple complex is surrounded by mud brick walls symbolic of the separation between the world and the secret ground of the gods. Temple design of the new kingdom exhibited a set of common design features in temple construction, one must first pass through the Pylon to enter the temple. The Pylon is the entrance to the temple a gateway to outer courtyard of the temple complex built by Ramsses II. Not just anyone could enter the temple complex, Only the Pharaoh, Priest and other officials are allowed. The pylon at Luxor is guarded by the statues of Ramsses II and sitting on the each side of the entrance, two stones Obelisks also mark the entrance to the luxor temple, there is only one still stands today. An Obelisk is a tall stone monolith with a pyramid shaped top and covered by reliefs celebrating the accomplishments of the pharaoh erecting it.

Egyptians enc-operated symbolism and optical illusion into the design of their temples, and the Luxor temple is know for this practice. The stone obelisks that marks the entrance to the temple were design to look the same height but were actually a different heights, an optical illusion. The outer courtyard is entered after passing through the Pylon gate, as known as the courtyard of Ramsses II, the outer courtyard is a common feature of many of the temple complexes, and some temples are contained multiple courtyards, Courtyards were decorated with statues and reliefs depicting the pharaoh and commemorating his name. Thebes | ancient city, Egypt | Britannica.com ancient city, Egypt Alternative Titles: Nowe, Nuwe, Wase, Wo’se Related Topics Valley of the Kings Thebes, ancient Egyptian Wase or Wo’se or (from c. 21st century bce) Nowe or Nuwe, one of the famed cities of antiquity, the capital of the ancient Egyptian empire at its heyday. Thebes lay on either side of the Nile River at approximately 26° N latitude .

The modern town of Luxor, or Al-Uqṣur, which occupies part of the site, is 419 miles (675 km) south of Cairo . Ancient Thebes covered an area of some 36 square miles (93 square km). The main part of the city was situated along the Nile’s east bank. Along the west bank was the necropolis , or “city of the dead,” an area containing the royal tombs and mortuary temples , as well as the houses of those priests, soldiers, craftsmen, and labourers who were devoted to the service of the Egyptian rulers. The Thebes area—including Luxor , the Valley of the Kings , the Valley of the Queens , and Karnak —was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979. Temple of Hatshepsut at Dayr al-Baḥrī, Thebes, Egypt. © Ron Gatepain (A Britannica Publishing Partner) A discussion of some of the most important sites associated with ancient Egypt. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. History The ancient name of Thebes was Wase, or Wo’se.

The nome (province) of Wase, the fourth of Upper Egypt , is known to have existed from the 4th dynasty onward. The earliest monuments that have survived at Thebes proper date from the 11th dynasty (2081–1939 bce), when the local nomarchs (governors) united Egypt under their rule. From this time Thebes frequently served as the royal capital of Egypt and was called Nowe, or Nuwe (“City of Amon ”), named for its chief god. The Greek name Thebes (Thebai) may have been derived from Ta-ope, the ancient Egyptian name for Luxor. Similar Topics Oxyrhynchus During the 12th dynasty (1938–1756), the royal residence was moved to the area of Memphis , but the kings of Egypt continued to honour Amon , their family god, and hence built temples at Thebes. After their invasion of Egypt and seizure of dynastic power about 1630, the Hyksos had little or no control over Thebes, and it was the lords of that city who finally drove the Hyksos out of Egypt (c. 1530–20).

Then began the era of greatest prosperity for Thebes. The 18th-dynasty pharaohs rebuilt it and made it their capital, embellishing its temples with the spoils of Asia and the tribute of Nubia . During the 15th century bce great palaces, brightly painted and surrounded with gardens, rose on either bank of the river. Many noble families kept estates in the area, and in the crowded streets foreign traders and mercenaries mingled with the citizens. The pharaohs of the New Kingdom vied with each other in building great temples on the east bank and even larger mortuary temples on the west. The height of Theban prosperity was reached in the 14th century bce in the reign of Amenhotep III (Amenophis III; reigned 1390–53), much of whose vast wealth from foreign tribute was poured into the temples of Amon. For a brief period in the reign of his son Akhenaton (1353–36), Thebes fell on evil times; the city was abandoned by the court, and the worship of Amon was proscribed.

With its restoration by Tutankhamen (reigned 1333–23), however, Thebes soon regained its revenues and prestige , and it retained both through the reigns of Seti I (1290–79) and Ramses II (1279–13), who still resided for part of every year in Thebes. The city continued to be richly endowed; according to ancient sources, Ramses III (reigned 1187–56) donated 86,486 slaves and vast estates to Amon’s temples. Africa at Random: Fact or Fiction? Under the later Ramessids, Thebes began to decline; the government fell, it seems, into grave economic difficulties. During the reign of Ramses IX (1126–08), about 1111 bce, a series of investigations into the plundering of royal tombs in the necropolis of western Thebes uncovered proof of corruption in high places, following an accusation made by the mayor of the east bank against his colleague on the west.

The plundered royal mummies were moved from place to place and at last deposited by the priests of Amon in a tomb-shaft in Dayr al-Baḥrī and in the tomb of Amenhotep II . (The finding of these two hiding places in 1881 and 1898, respectively, was one of the great events of modern archaeological discovery.) Such maladministration in Thebes led to unrest. Control of local affairs tended to come more and more into the hands of the high priests of Amon, leading to a situation in which, after the death of the last Ramses in the 11th century, the government of Egypt was shared between the pharaoh in Tanis and the high pontiff at Thebes. Intermarriage and adoption strengthened the ties between them, daughters of the Tanite kings being installed as “God’s Wife of Amon” at Thebes, where they wielded greater power. Britannica Stories Scientists Ponder Menopause in Killer Whales The Napatan (Nubian) pharaohs made Thebes their capital in the 7th century bce.

Its fame among the early Greeks was such that Homer speaks of the wealth of “hundred-gated Thebes.” In 663, however, it was sacked by Ashurbanipal ’s Assyrians, and, although rebuilt by the Saite governors (vassals of the Assyrians), it never fully recovered. In Strabo ’s time (c. 63 bce–c. 23 ce), the city had dwindled to a mere village visited by tourists who came to see the ancient temples. Archaeology Four of the main complexes of ruins are discussed in separate articles. (See Karnak ; Luxor ; Valley of the Kings ; Valley of the Queens .) Among the other chief sites of Thebes are the royal mortuary temples , the palace of Amenhotep III, and the Tombs of the Nobles. Overview of the temple complex at Karnak, Egypt. Contunico © ZDF Enterprises GmbH, Mainz In the New Kingdom , when the pharaohs hid their tombs in the secret Valley of the Kings (in western Thebes), ostentation had to be concentrated in their mortuary temples , which rivaled each other in size and magnificence.

Although they were designed for the performance of rites connected with the mortuary cult of the builder, they were all dedicated to Amon , the supreme god of Thebes, and had the character and essential form of a New Kingdom temple. They were built in a sequence generally corresponding to a topographic arrangement from north to south. Only traces of most of the earlier ones remain. The most important will be mentioned here. Connect with Britannica Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Pinterest The temple of Hatshepsut (reigned 1472–58 bce) at Dayr al-Baḥrī is the earliest large 18th-dynasty structure to survive and one of the most impressive. There in the bay of cliffs, next to the pyramid-temple of Mentuhotep II , the queen’s architect Senenmut designed (c. 1473) a series of colonnades and courts on three levels. The approach from the valley led through an avenue of sphinxes , and in the forecourt was a garden planted with trees and vines.

On either side of the sloping ramp leading to the next level, against the terrace face, was a gallery whose roof was supported on a double row of columns; a similar gallery ran along the westward side of the court on the next level, with side chapels dedicated to Anubis and Hathor . The top terrace contained a hall of columns, with further chapels on either side and a sanctuary dug into the cliff behind. Many of the surviving series of reliefs in the colonnades and chapels are of great beauty and considerable interest: one depicts the transport of two obelisks by barge from Aswān to Karnak, another the divine marriage of Queen Ahmes with the god Amon and the resultant miraculous birth of Hatshepsut herself, and a third the maritime trading expedition sent by the queen to Punt , the land of incense on the Red Sea . Temple of Hatshepsut at Dayr al-Baḥrī, Thebes, Egypt. © Ron Gatepain (A Britannica Publishing Partner) Carved doorway at the temple of Hatshepsut at Dayr al-Baḥrī, Thebes, Egypt.

© Ron Gatepain (A Britannica Publishing Partner) Detail of a free-standing column on the second terrace of the temple of Hatshepsut at Dayr … © Ron Gatepain (A Britannica Publishing Partner) Detail of statues on the third terrace of the temple of Hatshepsut at Dayr al-Baḥrī, … © Ron Gatepain (A Britannica Publishing Partner) Temples of Mentuhotep II (left) and Queen Hatshepsut (right) at Dayr al-Baḥrī in … Hirmer Fotoarchiv, Munich Editor Picks: Exploring 10 Types of Basketball Movies The mortuary temple of Amenhotep III (reigned 1390–53 bce) must have been the largest and most splendid of all the Theban temples. It was, however, almost completely demolished by later pharaohs, and all that is left today are a few foundations, a huge stela 33 feet (10 metres) high, and the two great statues known as the Colossi of Memnon , which once flanked the gateway in front of the temple pylon but now sit like lonely sentinels in the middle of a field.

The statues represent Amenhotep III but the name Memnon is of (later) Greek origin; with their crowns the statues were about 70 feet (21 metres) high, each hewn from a single block of stone. The northern one, after cracking in an earthquake, was the “singing Memnon” celebrated in classical times because on certain days, shortly after sunrise, it emitted a curious high note; numerous Roman tourists, including the emperor Hadrian (reigned 117–138 bce) and his wife Sabina, came to Thebes to hear this marvel, but in the reign of the Roman emperor Septimius Severus (193–211) the statue was patched with masonry and never “sang” again. The Colossi of Memnon at Madīnat Habu in Thebes, Egypt. © Patryk Kosmider/Fotolia The temple of Seti I (reigned 1290–79 bce) at Al-Qurnah survives only in part, the forecourt and pylons having disappeared.

It was dedicated in part to Ramses I , the father of Seti, and was completed by Seti’s son Ramses II (reigned 1279–13), who figures in the reliefs. The walls are decorated with scenes of purely religious content in which the pharaohs make offerings to various gods or are favoured by them. A hallway in the temple of Seti I in Thebes, Egypt. The walls are decorated with scenes of Egyptian … Robert Holmes—Corbis Opium Wars The Ramesseum , or mortuary temple of Ramses II the Great, though much ruined, retains some of its ancient grandeur. The wide outer pylon is decorated with vigorous scenes of the king’s wars against the Hittites in Syria, and the inner pylon has episodes from the Battle of Kadesh (1275) and scenes from the festival of the harvest god, Min . Tall figures of the king in the guise of Osiris decorate the pillars of the inner court. In the first court stood a seated colossus of Ramses II; only fragments of it are left, but enough to show that it was of enormous size.

It must have been more than 55 feet (17 metres) high and weighed about 1,000 tons. The hypostyle hall beyond the second court is similar in design to that of the Great Temple of Amon at Karnak; beyond were further pillared halls and a sanctuary that has now disappeared. Around the temple, within the high brick enclosure wall, are very extensive remains of vaulted buildings that must have been magazines (storehouses), stables, workshops, and houses belonging to the temple staff. The Greek historian Diodorus Siculus (flourished 1st century bce) described the Ramesseum under the name of “the Tomb of Ozymandias.” Ramesseum, Thebes, Egypt. Ramses II at the Battle of Kadesh, frieze at his funerary temple in Luxor, Egypt. © Bill McKelvie/Shutterstock.com The temple of Ramses III (reigned 1187–56) at Madīnat Habu is the latest and most southerly of the great New Kingdom mortuary temples.

The general plan was modeled on that of the Ramesseum: a wide front pylon, outer and inner peristyle courts separated by a second pylon, a large pillared hall and two smaller vestibules, and the sanctuary surrounded by smaller rooms. The hypostyle hall is partly ruined, the pillars having been dismantled to the level of the first or second drums, but the temple is otherwise well preserved. Scenes carved on the walls of the inner halls show the king performing acts of worship before the gods. There are also scenes of battle in which the king in his chariot mows down the Libyans, attacks an Amorite city, and leads Libyans, Asians, and sea raiders as prisoners before Amon and Mut . On the external wall of the temple, a great sea battle between Egyptians and the Peleset ( Philistines ) and other Sea Peoples is depicted with much lively detail. Another outstanding relief is that on the outer face of the great pylon, which shows the pharaoh hunting wild cattle in a reed-covered, marshy landscape. Adjoining the temple are the remains of a palace.

The high gate in the eastern side of the perimeter wall of the temple area is battlemented like a fortress. Within the precinct are other, smaller temples: one dates from the reign during the 15th century bce of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III but was altered and added to in various reigns and during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. There are also several mortuary chapels, a sacred lake, a well, and remains, as in the Ramesseum, of houses and vaulted magazines built of mud brick. South of the temple of Madīnat Habu stand the ruins of what must have been one of the finest buildings in western Thebes: the palace of King Amenhotep III and Queen Tiy at Malkata. It is in fact four palaces, one of which was occupied by Tiy. There was also a vast artificial lake, still traceable by a line of mounds to the southeast of Malkata, which may have been a harbour for shipping connected with the Nile.

The limestone foothills that lie parallel to the river and about 3 miles (5 km) away from it are honeycombed for a distance of more than 2 miles (3 km) with the Tombs of the Nobles, mainly of the 18th, 19th, and 20th dynasties . The usual plan of these tombs included a forecourt, a transverse chamber, a long, corridor-like room, and, at the end, a chapel containing statues of the deceased and his family, in the floor of which a shaft or passage ran down to the burial chamber. After the funeral the shaft was filled in, but the chapel and anterooms were kept open and visited by the family of the tomb owner. Near the villages of Dira ʿAbū al-Negaʾ al-Asasif, Al-Khū khah Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qurnah, Dayr al-Madīnah , and Qurnat Muraʾi, several hundred tomb-chapels are still open to view. The walls are decorated with mural paintings, many of them wonderfully fresh and full of vivid interest, depicting the daily occupations of the ancient Egyptians.

The dead are shown, in the outer rooms of these tombs, inspecting the workmen on their estates or in their hours of leisure hunting birds in the marshes or game in the desert, listening to music, or playing checkers with their wives. In the infinite variety of these homely scenes, the whole cycle of the farmer’s year, from plowing to harvest, is depicted; sculptors, metalworkers, weavers, and brickmakers ply their trades; and butchers, brewers, and cooks prepare food for the deceased’s table. The treasurer goes on his rounds of inspection, and the vizier receives foreign envoys to the pharaoh’s court. The merry patterns on the roofs derive from those in houses of the period. In the inner chapels fewer secular scenes are found. The funeral ritual is usually depicted: the cortège crossing the Nile, the ceremony of “Opening the Mouth” by the tomb door, the funerary feast; while in the innermost chamber there are representations of the deceased man and his wife in the company of Osiris and other gods undergoing the ordeal of judgment known as the “weighing of the heart” or being given nourishment by the goddess in the sacred sycamore.

In the tombs of the late New Kingdom, purely religious scenes predominate. In ancient Egypt there were other great cities, but none that has left so great a legacy to posterity . The great temples of Thebes with their historical scenes and inscriptions, the tombs with their wealth of illustration of daily life and religious belief, and the countless antiquities that now fill the museums and private collections of the world, are all aspects of that legacy. Few other sites have contributed more to the store of knowledge about early civilizations than that of ancient Thebes. Additional Media Karnak (Thebes), Egypt. The Karnak Complex: (Ipet-isut- 'Most select of places') This was once the largest sacred centre in all the ancient world (It covers almost 200 acres 1.5km by 0.8km). The area of the sacred enclosure of Amon at the heart of Karnak alone is 61 acres and is large enough to accommodate several average cathedrals. It was said to have been staffed by 80,000 people in the time of Ramasses III. The Karnak complex is the work of several Pharaohs and is dedicated to the supreme deity Amon-Ra.

The site consists of several huge temples, a forest of columns, pylons, obelisks, and avenues of sphinxes. An ancient obelisk still stands and is said to weigh approximately 323 tons with a height of 29 metres. The majority of the complex was built around 1,500 BC. although Lockyer dated it astronomically as having a foundation date of 3,700 BC. (1) At Karnak as at Heliopolis, a belief existed that the site was the place of creation, where Amun-Ra made the first mound of earth rise from Nun. Chronology of Karnak. Sir Norman Lockyer calculated a date of 3,700 BC. based on the alignment of the temple of Amen-Ra in relation to the summer solstice sun-set. The orientation was determined from change in amplitude.

For those interested, here is a quote from Lockyer: 'Taking the orientation as 26ï¿½, and taking hills and refraction into consideration, we find that the true horizon sunset amplitude would be 27ï¿½ 30'.This amplitude gives us for Thebes, a declination of 24ï¿½ 18'. This was the obliquity of the eclipse in the year 3,700 B.C., and is therefore the date of the foundation of the shrine to Amen-Ra at Karnak..' (1). Lockyer's date is disputed by Egyptologists as it is unclear which part of the setting sun was used as the 'setting marker' (i.e. edges, top, centre, first glimpse, last glimpse etc), an argument often used against Lockyer, who was accused of using different 'setting markers' at different sites. Recent excavations have pushed the history of Karnak back to around 3200 BC (4), when there was a small settlement on the bank of the Nile where Karnak now stands.

Two brick-built mastaba tombs dating from the 3rd or 4th dynasty have been found in the Theban area, and a small group of tombs have been found dating from the 5th and 6th Dynasties in the area of the necropolis known as el-Khokha. In addition, no buildings survive in Thebes older than the portions of the Karnak temple complex, which date from the Middle Kingdom, although the lower part of a statue of King Niuserre of the 5th Dynasty has been found in Karnak.(2) This superb example of an Egyptian 'Water-Clock' was found at Karnak in 1904, and dates from the reign of King Amenhotep III (1415-1380 BC). It is made of alabaster and was used for indicating the passage of time. In use, the vessel was filled with water, which leaked out slowly from a small hole near the bottom; the time being indicated by the level of the water remaining within. (5) The Main Structures at Karnak: The Great Temple of Amon-Ra.

The oldest remains of the temple date to the reign of Senwosret I of the 12th Dynasty (2), and therefore represents some of the oldest remains at Karnak. Much of the site was covered in sand until it was excavated. Nineteenth century photograph of Karnak. The condition of the temple at Karnak before restoration. Montu was the major god at Karnak before Amun. 'Just north of the Temple of Amun-Ra, are the foundations of an earlier, but also central and primary, temple dedicated to the god Montu. Little remains of this temple, not because it was weathered by the elements, but rather because it was systematically deconstructed and its building stones used in the construction of other temples. According to Schwaller de Lubicz, this mysterious dismantling of temples, found at Karnak and numerous other places in Egypt, has to do with the changing of the astrological cycles.

The supplanting of the bull of Montu with the ram of Amon coincides with the astronomical shift from the age of Taurus, the bull, to the age of Aries, the ram; the earlier temple of Montu had lost its significance with the astronomical change and thus a new temple was constructed to be used in alignment with the current configuration of the stars'.(4) Montu was the original god in the Theban area. (Montu, originated in the form of a local solar god in Upper (southern) Egypt, apparently at Hermonthis (City of the Sun). His worship appears to have been exported to Thebes around the time of the 11th Dynasty. The Enclosure of Mut: The southern part of Karnak contains the temple of Mut, on the east bank of the Nile, more than 900 feet south of the temple of Amun-Ra. The main Mut temple is surrounded on three sides by a sacred lake called the Isheru, which is a term used to describe sacred lakes specific to precincts of goddesses who can be leonine in form. The Mut Precinct's Isheru is probably fed by an underground spring.

Alignments at karnak - Sir Norman Lockyer was very particular about the orientation of the temple of Amen-Ra, which dominates Karnak, and was found to align with the summer solstice sunrise. He said of it: Evaluation of the site of the temple of Amun-Re at Karnak, taking into account the change over time of the obliquity of the ecliptic, has shown that the Great Temple was aligned on the rising of the midwinter sun. (6) The earliest axis included the famous Great Hypostyle Hall built by Ramses II on an east to west alignment. Sir Norman Lockyer (1836-1920) proposed a midsummer sunset alignment of the Main Axis of the Great Temple of Amon-Re (see The Dawn of Astronomy, 1894). As Lockyer noted of Karnak, it was 'a scientific instrument of very high precision, as by it the length of the year could be determined with the greatest possible accuracy.' By some accounts, the temple at Luxor may have no less than four well-defined alignment changes involving stars.

Unlike solar alignments which can generally last for thousands of years intact, stellar alignments are much more critical because of the precession of the equinoxes, and last only a few hundred years. Lockyer's measurements showed several Karnak temples had been altered over the centuries to match the precessional changes in their aligned stars. (3) The Karnak Sphinx's. Rows of sphinx's line the entrance to the temple of Amon-Ra, both inside and out. They are mostly Ram-headed. The Karnak Obelisks. There are two obelisks still standing at Karnak. The obelisk erected by Queen Hatshepsut (1473-1458BC). is 97 feet tall and weighs approximately 320 tons. An inscription at its base indicates that the work of cutting the monolith out of the quarry required seven months of labor. Nearby stands a smaller obelisk erected by Tuthmosis I (1504-1492 BC). It is 75 feet high, has sides 6 feet wide at its base, and weighs between 143 and 160 tons.

Hatshepsut raised four obelisks at Karnak, only one of which still stands. Tuthmosis I was the first to erect obelisks in Karnak. It was 22 metres high, of red granite and had its pinnacle encased in electrum or gold. Tuthmosis celebrated five sed festivals, and on each occasion, obelisks were set up to commemorate the event: the first three pairs were erected in Karnak, the fourth in Heliopolis (now located in London, New york) and his fifth is now in Rome ï¿½ the so-called ï¿½Lateranï¿½ obelisk. The significance of the latitude of Karnak - (25ï¿½ 43' 00") (This latitude, whether through accident or design, has an important geometric significance). It is has been noticed that certain significant ancient Egyptian temples were located on geometrically significant latitudes.

In the case of Karnak (Thebes), we can see that the latitude is a result of the following simple mathematic procedure: (90 ï¿½ / 7 which equals 12.857ï¿½) Although this number may seem to have no immediate significance, there has been much work on the theory that the ancient Egyptians were aware of the dimensions of the globe, a theory which finds favour in the specific placement of particularly significant sacred sited. Livvio Stecchini was the first to suggest that the ancient oracle centres were placed at specific latitudes which he called the 'Oracle octave'. He suggested that the historical narratives of Herodotus, who made a reference to the connection between the oracle centres of Ammon-Ra and Delphi. (which is situated at 38.57 ï¿½ N). If the Northern half of the hemisphere of earth (90ï¿½), is divided by seven, then one can start to look at the ancient sacred sites in a different light.

The 'First Cataract' of Egypt falls exactly on first division on latitude 12.857ï¿½ N, the Temple of Amon (Thebes), falls on the second division: 12.857ï¿½ x 2 = 25.714ï¿½ N (25ï¿½ 43' 00" N) The Third is home to Delphi (and the Evora complex in Portugal).. both on latitude 38.57ï¿½ N, and the fourth, the home to the largest pyramid in Europe, Silbury Hill at (51.428ï¿½ N). Digital Karnak: Feature - Temple complex overview Karnak > Temple complex overview Temple complex overview Khonsu Temple , Opet Temple , Ptah Temple , Aten Temples Introduction A number of important ancient cities and temples are known from ancient Egypt. One of the most famous cities is Thebes, a major religious center and the burial place of the kings of the New Kingdom. The city's tombs, including the Valley of the Kings and Queens, are located on the west bank of the river Nile, in the areaï¿½s limestone cliffs.

The mortuary temples of many of the New Kingdom kings edge the flood plain of the Nile. The houses and workshops of the ancient Thebans were located on the river's east bank. Little remains of the ancient city, as it is covered by the modern city of Luxor. A series of important temples, composing the religious heart of Thebes, are most of what remains today. To the south, close to the banks of the Nile, lies the temple of Luxor. To the north and connected by the sphinx alleyway stand the temples of Karnak. Karnak can be divided into four sections: south Karnak, with its temple of the goddess Mut, east Karnak, the location of a temple to the Aten, north Karnak, the site of the temple of the god Montu, and central Karnak, with its temple to the god Amun-Ra. The Amun-Ra complex at Karnak encompasses a dizzying number of pylons, courts, pillared and columned halls, bark shrines and even small separate temples. A huge mud brick temenos wall encloses the Amun-Ra precinct today; a series of earlier walls (with smaller footprints) have been identified through excavations at the temple.

Three major processional ways have been discovered leading out from the precinct: each of these monumental paths lined with stone sphinx statues was involved in the procession of the divine image to neighboring temples, as the whole of Thebes became part of the ritual landscape during festival occasions. In the Egyptian language, the temple of Amun is usually referred to as Per-Amun, or "the house of Amun." In many ways, the temple indeed played the role of the god's abode on earth. Here, the god's statue was provided daily with food, drink, and sweet smelling incense and oils. But the god's house was much more than a mere dwelling; it also included an estate ï¿½ agricultural lands both around the temple and in other parts of the country ï¿½ that supplied it with resources. While much of the land around the Karnak temples has not yet been excavated, storehouses, aviaries, production centers for food and drink, animal slaughter areas, and homes for priests have been uncovered, showing that the temples managed a system of production and consumption for its own goods and services.

Documents from a variety of periods show that the Amun temple was also involved in a larger, regional network of land ownership and taxation that brought in a substantial amount of wealth to the temple. Formal archaeological work started at central Karnak in 1895 and is ongoing today. The temple is now one of the best-documented and most frequently discussed ancient Egyptian sites. About the Model The Digital Karnak Project has recreated more than 60 structures from Karnak in a real time three-dimensional Virtual Reality model. These architectural features include obelisks, temples, pylons, courts, shrines, enclosure walls, and even a lake. Each building, and its multiple phases of construction, modification and destruction has been reconstructed based on plans and drawings published by Egyptologists. Great effort was made to incorporate the most current available research, and the webpage for each structure includes a detailed description and bibliography of sources for each recreation.

One of the major highlights of the model is the opportunity to watch the templeï¿½s growth through time ï¿½ moving reign by reign, the model depicts the temple from its earliest hypothesized form in the Middle Kingdom through the Greco-Ptolemaic Period, allowing us to visualize how the buildings and sacred space changed during the templeï¿½s 1500 year lifetime. It should be stressed that the model (in both the accompanying videos and the lower-quality model posted on Google Earth) represents the state of our knowledge today about the form of the temple. The model cannot show us Karnak ï¿½as it really was,ï¿½ because we will never know everything about a site so ancient. Our goal has been to faithfully recreate the scholastic interpretations of each element of the site, interpretations which themselves will have flaws. Many details have been left out, and many elements of the basic architecture of the recreated buildings are based on hypotheses and conjecture. What the model does offer is an approximation of how buildings may have looked (in a very general way) and a chance to tour through and interact with this recreated space.

As it is, new information gained through ongoing excavations at Karnak will most definitely change our understanding of the precinct, and the model will need to be continually modified to reflect the new ï¿½reality.ï¿½ Further reading Barguet, Paul (1962), Le temple d'Amon-Rï¿½ ï¿½ Karnak; essai d'exï¿½gï¿½se. Le Caire: Impr. de l'Institut franï¿½ais d'archï¿½ologie orientale. Bjï¿½rkman, Gun (1971), Kings at Karnak. A study of the treatment of the monuments of royal predecessors in the early New Kingdom. Uppsala: Universitet. Blyth, Elizabeth (2006), Karnak: evolution of a temple. London: Routledge. Shafer, Byron (1997), Temples of ancient Egypt. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. © 2008 All rights reserved. Regents of the University of California. Temple of Karnak; Temple of Amon-Ra The Karnak Temple The Temple of Karnak is the largest Temple in the World!

The complex contains a group of Temples such as the Great Temple of Amon Ra, The Temple of Khonso, The Ipt Temple, The Temple of Ptah, the Temple of Montho and the Temple of the God Osiris. A 20m high, mud brick enclosure wall, surrounded all of these buildings. This great Temple of Amon Ra was known during the Middle Kingdom period as Ipt-Swt, which means the Selected Spot. It was also called Pr-Imn, which means the House of Amon. The name Al-Karnak in Arabic was derived from Karnak, which means fortified village, probably because the Arabs found many Temples and buildings in the area when they entered it for first time. On your way towards the entrance you will find a ram-headed avenue of Sphinxes, which was built to protect the Temple. There are 20 rams on each side, extending from the small harbour to the 1st Pylon, which was built during the time of King Nektanebo I (30th Dynasty).

As you cross this pylon, it takes you into an Open court, whose dimensions are100m long by 80m wide, built during the 22nd Dynasty, and containing rows of bud papyrus columns. In the middle of the 1st Open court, there is a huge column, which is 21m high and has a bud papyrus capital. This part is known as the kiosk of Taharqa who ruled during the 25th Dynasty. This is the only column left from a colonnade that once had 10 columns. On the left side of this Court there are 3 chapels, which were built by King Seti II for the "Triad of Thebes". On the right side is the Temple of Ramses III. This Temple consists of a small pylon, an open court and Hypostyle hall, leading to the sanctuary. Horemheb built the 2nd Pylon during the 18th Dynasty, though it is now badly damaged. Ramses I, the founder of the 19th Dynasty, later completed it.

Passing the 2nd Pylon, we enter the Great Hypostyle Hall, which measures 103m in length and 52m in width. It contains 134 papyrus columns; each column is about 22m in height and 3.5m in diameter. Amenhotep III built it and Ramses I, Seti I, and Ramses II decorated it, while King Seti I erected the other 122 columns in 14 rows. The ceiling in the centre is higher than the laterals, and it allows light into this spot, which was the processional avenue of the Triad during the festival of the Opet. The scenes of the Hypostyle Hall represent King Seti I, in front of different deities, making offerings, while the southern wall is decorated with scenes of Ramses II, making offerings to the different deities or worshipping the Triad of Thebes. The Hypostyle Hall leads to The 3rd Pylon, which was built by Amenhotep III. It is remarkable that stones from previous periods were found incrusted in that Pylon, for example, the marble alabaster of Amenhotep I!

Crossing the 3rd Pylon, you come to an open, rectangular court, which is known as the Court of Tuthmosis I. In this court, Tuthmosis I erected 2 obelisks, as most probably this area was the main entrance of the Temple during his reign. Unfortunately, only one obelisk has survived: 19m high and around 310 tons in weight. From the Court of Tuthmosis, we reach the 4th Pylon, which Tuthmosis I also built; beyond this is a rectangular colonnade, which he built as well. When Hatshepsut ascended to the throne she built 2 obelisks in that colonnade, the left one is still in its original position: 29.5m in height, 322 tons in weight and made of red granite! After the death of Queen Hatshepsut, King Tuthmoses III built a high, long wall around these 2 obelisks to hide them. The 5th Pylon, yet again built by Tuthmosis I, is damaged and on both sides of the entrance,Tuthmosis III built two small rooms.

We are now at the 6th Pylon, which was built by Tuthmosis III. Beyond this pylon Tuthmosis III built his famous hall, which is known as the Ancestral Room. The original Sanctuary was built by Tuthmosis III, but Philip Arrhidaeus, the half brother of Alexander the Great, later rebuilt it. The sanctuary was built of granite, and it was dedicated to the sacred boat of Amon Ra. Behind the sanctuary you will see a court, dating back to the time of the Middle Kingdom. It is a wide-open courtyard that is badly damaged now. Most probably this spot was the site of an old Temple, dating back to the time of the Middle Kingdom: the origin of the Karnak Temple. Click on the thumbnails to enlarge At the end of the Middle Kingdom Courtyard, there is another Hall known as the Akh-Mnw, or the Festival Hall of Tuthmosis III. The hall in the north of the area is called The Botanical Room. This is because the walls were decorated with scenes of plants, animals and birds, which were brought from Syria, to Egypt, by the King.

Now we shall go back through the temple until we reach the Court of Tuthmosis 1 again (between the 4th and 3rd Pylons). Turning left, we enter a courtyard, which is in front of the 7th Pylon. In 1902, the French Egyptologist Georges Legrain (1865–1917) discovered a very precious collection of statues hidden in the ground of this court, which is now known as the Court of the Cashet. The 7th Pylon, which is badly damaged, was built by Tuthmosis III. Crossing the 7th Pylon to the court beyond, you will see 2 statues of Ramses II and Tuthmosis III. The 8th Pylon was built by Hatshepsut, decorated by Tuthmosis III, and restored by Seti I. The scenes on the façade of the Pylon represent Hatshepsut with different deities, and a religious scene featuring Tuthmosis III.

On the left side of the Court, between the 9th and 10th Pylons, are the remains of the Heb-Sed Shrine, which was built by Amenhotep II and decorated by Seti I. The 9th Pylon, which was built by Horemheb, is badly damaged. A large number of bricks were found inside, which were being used as filling. They belonged to the Aton Temple, which was built by Amenhotep VI (Akhenaten) in the 18th Dynasty and destroyed by later Kings who wanted to eliminate all traces of the "heretic" King. Finally we reach the 10th Pylon, damaged as well, and again built by King Horemheb. In front of this Pylon there are the remains of an avenue of Sphinxes, built by Horemheb, and extending to the gate of Ptolemy II in front of Mut Temple. Before leaving the Temple of Amon Ra at Karnak you should visit the Sacred Lake, which goes back to the time of Tuthmosis III. It measures 80m in length and 40m in width.

Near the Sacred Lake there is a scarab, which is considered the biggest scarab left from Ancient Egypt, dating from the reign of Amenhotep III. The Ancient Egyptians called the scarab, Khebry, and it was the symbol of the Sun God. The word itself means to create; it was thought to bring to the sun in the early morning. While you are in Luxor, why don't you attend the marvelous Sound and Light show at the Temple of Karnak? Listed below you will find the Sound and Light show schedule.

Question: Which city near Luxor in Egypt is the site of the huge temple of Amon?
Answer: Karnak